The best way to get cheap flights
Are you looking for the best way to get cheap flights in 2023?
Are you forever one of those people who never seem to get lucky with good deals?
Do you always see Tik Tok videos of someone getting 20 euro return flights but you can never find them?
Are you like Dwight in this video spending all of your cash on flights?
Look no further! Below I’ve shared my top 10 tips for helping you to find the cheapest flights possible in 2023!
Disclaimer!
Okay, before I begin, it’s extremely important to mention that there is no magic trick to finding cheaper flights. No one tip will automatically result in you saving hundreds of euros. The following tips have worked for me the majority of the time. In saying that, have they always worked? Absolutely not! For example, if there’s a festival happening in Budapest during peak season and you’re looking to book flights to it, they’re always going to be expensive. There aren’t a whole lot of ways around that!
However, below are a few little small things that you could do that might save your bank a little!
1. Plan and book in advance
There are pros and cons to this point. I know planning too far in advance takes away the spontaneity of last-minute plans.
However, booking in advance can save you a lot of money. Flights between four months to three weeks before departure is usually the cheapest time to book. Airlines will often do sales on their flights, this is possibly one of the only times to get last-minute flight deals. However, 90% of the time flights are cheaper when you book in advance.
For international trips, it is recommended to start monitoring prices around six to seven in advance and to expect to book around three to five in advance.
2. Book off-season
We all know this one, it’s a bit of a given. We’ll all notice flights in June tend to be a lot more expensive than the likes of February.
However, remember that peak season in Ireland which is June until August is not peak season everywhere else in the world. Peak season is different in every country, therefore, altering the prices of flights. For example, the peak season in Australia is from December until February.
It can also be a lot harder to get annual leave during the summer in Ireland. It’s usually easier to get time off work during the off-season when it’s cheaper so it’s a win-win.
The advantages of booking off-season:
- It’s usually a lot cheaper, most importantly for most of us.
- Each country tends to be quieter during the off-season time.
- If it’s quiet, the tourist attractions aren’t as busy which means less queuing time.
The disadvantages of booking off-season:
- The weather usually isn’t as good. I traveled to both Costa Rica and Thailand during their off-season to save money, and I saved a lot of money. However, we definitely weren’t as fortunate with the weather!
- If you’re a solo backpacker, it can be quieter which makes it a little more difficult to make friends.
3. Select the day of the week that you travel on carefully!
Okay as mentioned above, this point is not foolproof. Flying on a particular day of the week will not always be cheaper. However, Tuesdays and Wednesdays do tend to be the cheapest days to fly on.
It’s not always the case but most people get time off work on Fridays and Mondays so naturally the flights are busier and usually more expensive. A lot of airline websites have made it easier to spot the cheap days to fly. Look out for ‘calendar view‘ booking systems that let you view prices across the whole week you’re searching for.
For example, this will not always be the case. If there is a big concert in Dublin on a Wednesday night, then flights will more than likely go up on Tuesday.
4. Choose the time of your flight wisely
No one likes this point because let’s be honest it’s not easy. The nice time of the day to fly is usually lunchtime or just before it. However, naturally enough this makes them a little bit pricier.
If you book the earliest flight to your destination, this flight is usually called the ‘red-eye flight’, it will nearly always be the cheapest time to fly. Not many people like waking up at 3 am to head to a busy airport, airlines know this and therefore make these flights the cheapest ones!
On the note of awkward times to fly, the late-at-night flights also tend to be slightly cheaper. Particularly the likes of a 9 pm flight, usually meaning you’ll arrive at your destination anytime after twelve at night.
Neither of these times is ideal, but I’ve often taken them to save extra money!
5. Don’t book group tickets
This is a random one but sometimes there are little hidden extra charges with certain airlines when booking flight tickets at once. This isn’t always the case, sometimes, it can be cheaper to book two people rather than one!
Some airlines such as Ryanair allow you to fill out a booking request form for multiple people and get a quote that is valid for 5 days! Here is all the information about Ryanair’s policy and here is the submit request form that you’ll need to fill out!
6. Check alternative airports
If you’re in Ireland, consider booking your flights from an airport other than Dublin Airport. Dublin of course has the most airlines and options but it is definitely not always the cheapest and best option!
Flights from Cork Airport:
| Destination | Airline | Days of the Week that flights operate |
| Alghero (Sardinia) | Ryanair | Monday & Friday (Summer Only) |
| Alicante | Ryanair | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday |
| Amsterdam | Aer Lingus | Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun |
| Amsterdam | KLM | Daily |
| Barcelona Girona | Ryanair | Tue, Fri, Sun |
| Barcelona Reus | Ryanair | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun (Summer Only) |
| Birmingham | Ryanair | Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| Bordeaux | Ryanair | Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun (Summer Only) |
| Bristol | Aer Lingus | Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun |
| Carcassonne | Ryanair | Tue, Sat (Summer Only) |
| Dubrovnik | Aer Lingus | Wed, Sat (Summer Only) |
| East Midlands | Ryanair | Tue, Thu, Sat |
| Edinburgh | Ryanair | Daily |
| Faro | Aer Lingus | Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun (Summer Only) |
| Faro | Ryanair | Daily |
| Frankfurt | Lufthansa | Mon, Fri, Sun (Summer Only) |
| Gdańsk | Ryanair | Thu, Sun |
| Gran Canaria | Ryanair | Tuesday |
| La Rochelle | Ryanair | Wed, Sun |
| Lanzarote | Aer Lingus | Tue, Thu, Sat |
| Lanzarote | Ryanair | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun |
| Liverpool | Ryanair | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| London Gatwick | Ryanair | Daily |
| London Heathrow | Aer Lingus | Daily |
| London Luton | Ryanair | Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| London Stansted | Ryanair | Daily |
| Málaga | Aer Lingus | Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (Summer Only) |
| Málaga | Ryanair | Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun |
| Manchester | Ryanair | Daily |
| Milan Bergamo | Ryanair | Tue, Thu, Sun |
| Palma de Mallorca | Aer Lingus | Mon, Wed, Fri |
| Palma de Mallorca | Ryanair | Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (Summer Only) |
| Paris (CDG) | AirFrance | Daily (Summer Only) |
| Pisa | Ryanair | Tue, Sat (Summer Only) |
| Poznań | Ryanair | Fri, Sun |
| Rome | Ryanair | Mon, Fri |
| Seville | Ryanair | Mon, Thu (Summer Only) |
| Tenerife | Ryanair | Tue, Sat |
| Valencia | Ryanair | Wed, Sat |
| Venice Treviso | Ryanair | Tue, Sat |
| Zürich | Swiss | Mon, Fri (Summer Only) |
As I mentioned above, sometimes it’s easier and more convinenet to always fly from the same aiport but it is always well worth checking out some new ones too!
7. Consider adding a stopover
Have you ever added a stopover to your journey?
Sometimes if you add a stopover to your trip can make it cheaper. For example, you could fly from Dublin to London and then from London to Paris. Of course, most of us don’t always have the time to do this but if you’re not particularly stuck for time this is definitely worth checking out!
If you do have a lot of extra time, you could try plan your trip so that you spend a day in the stopover country. This way, you’ll not only save yourself some money but you’ll also get to tick another place off your bucket list.
However, this doesn’t always work. Sometimes the cost of staying in a stopover country can be more than just booking direct so outweighs the prices.
It’s definitely always work having a little look at anyway!
8. Subscribe to a cheap flights email list
This one is a cool one and by signing up to a travel club, you’ll get 50 plus cheap flight deals to so many destination in your inbox every month!
All you have to do is email your name and email address for free, simple!! The website will then send you a list of cheap flights from destinations all over the world!
One of my favorite subscriptions for these emails is Rory’s Travel Club. The reason why I love this travel club is because you’ll be sent deals from not only really cool destinations all over Europe but also to really cool and unique experiences in Ireland. The best part is it’s only 10 euro for the whole entire year!
Rory’s Travel Club also organize group tours if you’re travelling alone!
Here’s a link to their content below! The latest deal of the month is 12 euro return flights from Dublin to Sweeden?? How unreal!!
9. Consider doing a day trip
Have you ever done a day trip? This is something that I did a whole series on.
The advantages of doing day trips:
- Day trips can often be very cheap.
- These types of trips are extremely handy if you’re stuck for time!
- If you don’t particularly like leaving home but also want to see the world, it’s the perfect way to start!
The advantages of doing day trips:
- You often have to get the early flight out and the late flight home, meaning you’ll usually be quite tired!
- If you’re not based too close to the airport these may seem like a lot of effort!
Here is an example of some day trip ideas below!
10. Be as flexible as possible
This point will not suit everyone and is certainly not as possible.
If you have your heart set on one destination, that is totally fair enough.
However, if you keep your mind open to new possibilities, the opportunities of cheaper places to visit are endless!
Here is a list of destinations below that may not be the most popular destinations but are nearly always much cheaper than the well known places to visit!
11. Try Sky Scanner’s feature to ‘search everywhere’
If like mentioned above, you’re quite flexible with your time and where you want to travel to, Sky Scanner have a really cool feature.
All you have to do is follow the step-by-step below;
- Click ‘search flight’
- Type in your destination.
- When searching ‘to’, use the dropdown menu and use the ‘explore everywhere’ option.
- This will then bring up a whole range of countries that are the cheapeast for the time that you’re travelling on!
Have you ever used this feature? Let me know below!
The Best Way to get cheap flights
In all honestly, sometimes finding cheap flights can be difficult. Check out my post on how to save money while traveling.
Save this Tik Tok for a little reminder for the next time that you’re booking flights!
